North Korea announced on Monday the successful launch of a new type of ballistic missile equipped with a maneuverable hypersonic warhead, a new advance in weapons technology, AFP reported.

The launch of Pyongyang’s first solid-fuel hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) was detected by the South Korean military on Sunday afternoon.

According to the North Korean state news agency KCNA, the solid-fuel missile was “charged with a hypersonic and maneuverable warhead.”

The test was aimed at “testing the planing and maneuvering capabilities” as well as “the reliability of the newly developed multi-stage high-thrust solid fuel engine,” KCNA explained.

The agency said the launch, Pyongyang’s first report since the beginning of the year, “never affected the security of a neighboring country and had nothing to do with the regional situation.”

The test comes amid fears that Pyongyang is strengthening its position.

Last week, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called South Korea the country’s “main enemy” that he would “destroy” without hesitation.

South Korea’s defense ministry condemned the launch and said it would trigger a “devastating response” in the event of a “direct provocation” by Pyongyang.